Agatha Christie : The Murder Mystery DVD Collection [1974]

Murder on the Orient Express (1974), directed by Sidney Lumet, features a cavalcade of stars including Ingrid Bergman, Lauren Bacall, John Gielgud and Sean Connery; while Christie herself gave Albert Finney's Poirot her blessing. The Art Deco setting exudes glamour; the plot is preposterously diverting; the lighting, silvery and washed-out, giving the suspects an appropriately grim and ghoulish air.

With a superior Anthony Shaffer screenplay Death on the Nile (1978) saw Peter Ustinov taking over as Poirot. The backdrop of ancient Egyptian monuments helps bring this adaptation a touch of class, complemented by composer Nino Rota's epic theme tune.

The Mirror Crack'd (1980) features Elizabeth Taylor and Kim Novak as rival Hollywood legends descending on a quaint English village to make a film, with Rock Hudson as Taylor's husband and Angela Lansbury as a rather unconvincingly robust Miss Marple.

Shaffer returned to the fray, adapting Evil Under the Sun (1981) and moving Poirot from the Cornish Riviera to an island off the coast of Albania. Ustinov reprises his role and Maggie Smith returns, camper than ever, as the hotel owner inconvenienced by murder.

On the DVD: It's a pity that the sound quality hasn't been sharpened up, though: Murder on the Orient Express sometimes evokes memories of the muffled incoherence of an old fleapit. Apart from trailers, extras are few and far between. There are no cast lists or filmographies. But Death on the Nile and Evil Under the Sun both feature interesting short promotional "'making of"' documentaries in 4:3 format. --Piers Ford

Death on the Nile
Peter Ustinov gives an energetic performance as Poirot, in his first portrayal of the Belgian detective. Contains all the successful elements of its predecessor Murder on the Orient Express. By replacing the world-famous train with the luxury Nile steamer Karnak, it gains breath-taking footage of Luxor, Aswan and Abu Simbel shot by cameraman Jack Cardiff. As we cruise down the legendary river in splendid luxury, a mystery assassin takes toll of a passenger list of internationally renowned faces, including Jane Birkin, Bette Davis, Mia Farrow, Jon Finch, Olivia Hussey, George Kennedy, Angela Lansbury, Simon MacCorkindale, David Niven and Jack Warden. A visually sumptuous and quintessentially British production, it won an Oscar for Anthony Powell's costume design.
Special Features
Making of Featurette (23 mins)
Theatrical Trailer
Audio: Mono,
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

The Mirror Crack'd
From the Back Cover
The first film from producers John Brabourne and Richard Goodwin to feature the legendary lady supersleuth Miss Marple (Angela Lansbury), following their successful Poirot pictures. The scene is set in the Coronation year of 1953 and the archetypal English village of St. Mary Mead. All is as it should be until Hollywood arrives in the form of an internationally famous film cast, leading to much local excitement and an epidemic of sudden death. Taking advantage of the Christie cachet, the producers have followed a winning formula in casting the leading roles from the cream of feature film actors including Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, Tony Curtis, Kim Novak, Geraldine Chaplin and Edward Fox.
Special Features
Theatrical Trailer
Audio: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Evil Under the Sun
From the Back Cover
A star-studded cast heads this Agatha Christie story about one man's efforts to fathom the mysterious death of a bitchy fallen theatre star (Diana Rigg) on a stunning exclusive island resort in the sweltering Mediterranean. Peter Ustinov stars as Hercule Poirot with Jane Birkin, Colin Blakely, Maggie Smith, James Mason and Roddy McDowall the suspects.
Special Features
Making of Featurette (15 mins)
Theatrical Trailer
Audio: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1